Interstate 60 (2002)

This movie has probably been in my instant queue for as long as I've had an instant queue. When I first hooked up to instant streaming I was going through all the movies I could and adding anything that looked interesting. I've probably watched most of those by now but there are still a few hanging around. I think I skipped this one over so many times because the cover makes it look like your run of the mill road trip movie. I saw that it was expiring in a couple of weeks and thought I owed it to all of you, my loyal readers, to review it before it went bye-bye.

I have to say, I'm really glad I did. This movie wasn't at all what I was expecting. Instead of getting a crass teen comedy I found a delightful and whimsical trek down a fictional interstate highway. This movie is more akin to Tim Burton's The Big Fish than anything I was expecting. Interstate 60 tells the story of a young man looking for answers and after he is granted his birthday wish he sets out on a path to discover himself. It has a very modern fairy-tale feel to it which is either cheesy or heart-warming depending on your taste in movies.

Along the way the protagonist encounters a number of colorful characters that help him on his journey. This is where the movie really shines. The cameos by Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future!), Kurt Russell, Gary Oldman, and Chris Cooper were incredible and each actor knocked his role out of the park. After a number of trials the lead (James Mardsen) gets the girl (Amy Smart) and your left with an obvious but very happy ending. If you enjoyed The Big Fish or just like movies with a bit of a whimsy and fairy-tale flare you'll like this movie. I found it to be a pleasant surprise.